Number Of Doctoral Programs Research Articles

Graduate Nursing Student Scholarly Writing: Improving Writing Proficiency

Since 2011, enrollment in Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) graduate nursing programs increased by almost 300%, suggesting that nursing had entered its “golden age.” This steep-growth trajectory reflects the concomitant growth in the number of doctoral programs, today exceeding 435 for the combined DNP and Ph.D. degrees. Unfortunately, the recent progress in advancing nurses in academic programs is hampered by a weakness in a competency crucial for nurses to complete their rigorous academic programs and disseminate research findings or evidence-based practice project interventions: academic writing proficiency. Since nursing curricula at the undergraduate level place lesser emphasis on the humanities, nursing students lack training in the liberal arts compendium of logic, grammar, and rhetoric necessary for effective and articulate communication and dissemination of knowledge in the field of nursing. Data generated from a recent national survey offers new perspectives on the pervasive problem of poor scholarly writing evidenced by students in graduate nursing programs: 97% of graduate papers contain grammatical errors, and only 13% of students demonstrate higher-order skills. While 81% of graduate program faculty ranked their own writing ability as “exceptional” or “highly proficient,” graduate faculty noted that 97% of the time, student papers evidenced numerous grammatical errors, such as flawed sentence structure, run-on sentences, punctuation errors, and ambiguous word choice. These data suggest that graduate nursing programs must pursue avenues to address student writing shortfalls. The authors opine that the absence of action suggests that graduate nursing programs may be in a dilemma that parallels the metaphor and urban legend of the boiled frog, wherein acceptance of an unacceptable change occurs gradually through minor, unimportant, and unnoticed increments. Aimed at addressing this dilemma, the authors discuss the potential value of offering a customized writing course to refresh and improve students’ basic writing mechanics. A sample curriculum focuses on critical thinking, clarity, and logical flow. Nursing academicians must acknowledge the drift to low writing performance in their students, advance proficiency in scholarly writing to the top of the graduate nursing education’s agenda, and prepare nurses to achieve in nursing’s “golden age.”

Results of a PhD Program in Medical Sciences in a Public South American University

Introduction: The number of doctoral programs in medical sciences and health professionals trained for clinical research is scarce, particularly in South America. The aim of this study was to describe the results of a doctoral program in medical sciences (DPMS) in a public South American university. Methods: Observational study. All cohorts in the program from 2008 to 2020 were included in the analysis. Outcome variables were graduation rate and scientific productivity of graduates in terms of publications in WoS and SCOPUS journals databases. Other variables of interest were student´s biodemographical and academic characteristics, and faculty members (n=11 professors) productivity (WoS and SCOPUS publications), Descriptive statistics were applied. Results: During the evaluation period 211 professionals applied to the DPMS program, 52 were accepted (24.6% acceptance rate), and 18 graduated (graduation rate of 58.1%). Graduate productivity was 160 papers (123 in WoS database and 44 in SCOPUS), adding up to an average of 9.2 publications per graduate. Median graduation time was 49 months. Faculty members´ (n=11) productivity totaled 474 scientific articles between 2016-2020 (450 in WoS database journals and 24 in SCOPUS database journals), adding up to an average of 40.9 publications per faculty member during that time period, the equivalent of an average of 8.2 publications per academic per year. Discussion: The results of a recent but consolidated PhD program in medical sciences are presented. We emphasize the acceptance and graduation rate, and the scientific productivity of both graduates and faculty members. Keywords: Education, Graduate;, Medical, Graduate, Doctorate programs, PhD programs

Quantitative Analysis of Higher Education Based on AHP-TOPSIS

The development of higher education is a hot topic in today’s era. To solve the problem of the imperfect evaluation system of multiple universities, this paper collects data from various universities in the Yangtze River Delta in China. It applies AHP-TOPSIS to score and evaluate different universities. We took the Yangtze River Delta region in China as an example to comprehensively evaluate universities. The scale of higher education in the Yangtze River Delta region and the quantity of higher education resources are at the top level in the country. Still, the quality of higher education in multiple universities is uneven. We need to select indicators to evaluate the universities in the Yangtze River Delta comprehensively. Thirty colleges and universities in the Yangtze River Delta region were sampled for the comprehensive evaluation. We collected six items, including the number of academicians in colleges and universities, the number of papers published in scientific journals such as Nature and Science, the number of critical disciplines, the number of national-level specialty majors, the number of master’s programs in first-level fields, and the number of doctoral programs in first-level fields. According to the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), we get the weights of the six indicators as 0.1389, 0.1475, 0.1872, 0.1872, 0.1595, and 0.1796. Indicators are established to score colleges and universities based on the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). The evaluation and ranking of universities in the Yangtze River Delta conducted in this paper are based on the combination of AHP and TOPSIS (AHP-TOPSIS).

Developing entrustable professional activities for doctoral graduates in health professions education: obtaining a national consensus in Iran

BackgroundThe number of doctoral programs in health professions education (HPE) is expanding. Entrustable professional activities (EPAs) can be a mechanism to define the expected activities of the HPE doctorate to inform training and assessment processes. The purpose of this study was to develop and reach a consensus on EPAs for HPE doctoral graduates.MethodsWe used a modified Nominal Group Technique (NGT) to elicit EPA titles followed by two rounds of a modified Delphi survey to seek consensus on the EPAs among groups of experts (HPE doctoral graduates and Board of HPE Examiners members) at the national level in Iran between July 2019 and July 2020.ResultsA total number of 92 initial EPA titles, which emerged from brainstorming in the NGT meeting, was reduced to 27 titles during the clarification process. The final EPA framework consisted of 24 EPA titles with descriptions, arranged in three categories: Research and scholarship (6 EPAs), Educational development (11 EPAs) and Educational management (7 EPAs). All final EPAs scored ≥80% agreement at the national level.ConclusionsThe proposed EPAs framework can be used to improve the HPE doctorate training and to inform employment decisions. A future international consensus procedure could use these EPA outcomes as a starting point.

The Status of Doctoral Education in the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities

The number of doctoral programs being offered by Christian universities is expanding, bringing new opportunities, needs, and challenges to these postsecondary institutions. Currently, 46 of the 113 governing member institutions of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU) offer doctoral-level programs. Of the 185 member, partner, and affiliate institutions connected with the CCCU, 76 (41%) offer doctoral-level education. This article reports on the results of a 2018 survey of 57 North American institutions affiliated with the CCCU regarding their doctoral programs, with particular attention to program design, faculty development and workloads, institutional infrastructure, and student needs. Recommendations are offered for the support of doctoral programs, faculty, and students.

The Pipeline Problem in Doctoral Counselor Education and Supervision

The hiring of new faculty members in counselor education programs can be complicated by the available pool of qualified graduates with doctoral degrees in counselor education and supervision, as required by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) for core faculty status. A pipeline problem for faculty hiring may exist in regions with fewer doctoral programs. In this study, the researchers examined whether the number of doctoral programs accredited by CACREP is regionally imbalanced. The researchers used an ex post facto study to analyze differences in the number of doctoral programs among the five regions commonly defined by national counselor education associations and organizations. A large and significant difference was found in the number of CACREP-accredited doctoral programs by region, even when population size was statistically controlled. The Western region had by far the fewest number of doctoral programs. The number of CACREP-accredited master’s programs in a state was a large and significant predictor for the number of CACREP-accredited doctoral programs in a state. State population size, state population density, the number of universities per state, and the number of American Psychological Association–accredited counseling psychology programs were not predictors. Demand may surpass supply of doctoral counselor educators in certain regions, resulting in difficulties with hiring new faculty for some CACREP-accredited programs. An analysis of programs currently in the process of applying for CACREP accreditation suggests that this pipeline problem looks likely to continue or even worsen in the near future. Implications for counselor education and supervision are discussed.

University Polymer Education in Thailand

SummaryThe scope in Thailand of education in Polymer Science and Technology is reviewed. Five technical colleges offer a diploma in rubber science and technology. Several universities offer a bachelor degree in Polymer or Rubber Science and Technology or Engineering. Others offer degrees in Industrial Chemistry or Materials Science which emphasize polymer technology. A number of universities in Thailand are registered to offer postgraduate degree courses in polymer science/technology/engineering. Of course many universities are authorized to teach polymer science or engineering in their degree courses, or are engaged in polymer research, but do not offer degrees specific to Polymer Science and Technology. Masters degrees have been offered for several decades and now a number of doctoral programs are authorized. Instruction is mainly in reasonably equipped university Chemistry Departments, although there is some in Materials Science programs. Most lecturers have a doctoral degree from a developed country, although Thai PhD graduates are now entering employment. In the instructional process attention has to be paid to problems arising from the nature of teaching in Thai schools. Postgraduate instruction must realize the limited coverage of the first degree as well as certain cultural factors. The majority of the Polymer Bachelor graduates move into industry each year. 80% of Master graduates enter industry. Of the PhD graduates, each year 30% work in industry, about 50% become university lecturers particularly at new universities in the provinces and about 20% work in government research institutes.

PREPARINGtheNurse ScientistforACADEMIA and INDUSTRY

The number of doctoral programs in nursing has been increasing. However, these programs tend to focus on preparing nurse scientists to conduct research, and many spend little time preparing doctoral students for the educator, clinical researcher, or administrator role. Leaders of doctoral programs have identified the need to prepare doctoral students in the functional roles they will assume upon graduation, in addition to the researcher role. This article describes a two-course (six-credit) sequence of courses within a research-focused PhD in Nursing program that provides didactic and experiential knowledge about the role of the nurse scientist in academia and industry settings. Students are highly satisfied with the courses, and report that the experiences have provided them with important knowledge and skills as they assume the scientist role.

Toward a Formula-Based Model for Academic Library Funding: Statistical Significance and Implications of a Model Based upon Institutional Characteristics

This study tests the hypothesis that a positive relationship exists between academic library funding (dependent variable) and selected institutional variables taken as indicators of the demand for library services at the university (enrollment, number of doctoral programs, doctoral degrees awarded, number of faculty, select other institutional characteristics). The research employs 11 years of longitudinal data from 113 members of the Association of Research Libraries to create a multiple regression model. Empirical results indicate that operational indicators of the demand for library services are positively associated with funding, and most of the associations are statistically significant at the five percent level or less in two tail tests. In a corollary finding, libraries associated with private universities in the United States spend 21 percent more than their public counterparts, while Canadian university libraries spend 21 percent less than U.S. public university libraries. The presence of a medical school is associated with an 8.6 percent greater expenditure, and the presence of a law school is associated with a 12.3 percent greater expenditure. The study suggests that this formula may be useful as a tool for library funding and assessment of adequacy of library budgets.

Global quality criteria, standards, and indicators for doctoral programs in nursing; literature review and guideline development

Background: Nursing profession has intensified education and training of nurse researchers who could enhance the health of people through the discovery and dissemination of knowledge. This resulted in rapid increase in the number of doctoral programs in nursing in many countries in recent decades, but the guidelines for quality programs are lacking. Objectives: To develop guidelines for quality criteria, standards, and indicators for doctoral programs in nursing that may be used worldwide. Methods: The work of the quality criteria, standards and indicators (QCSI) committee of the International Network for Doctoral Education in Nursing formed the basis of this paper and authors supplemented it by a literature review and consultation with international experts. Findings: The major criteria of quality of doctoral program were: the nature of the mission, the quality of faculty, the students, the curriculum, program administration, and resources. Sub-criteria, standards and indicators for each of these criteria were identified in sufficient detail to provide guidance for quality doctoral programs in nursing. Concerns as to whether the QCSI would apply to those countries and doctoral programs that focus on a research thesis only, without formal coursework were addressed. Experts from across the world felt that the QCSI would be applicable for most program types. Conclusions: Global criteria, standards, and indicators for doctoral programs in nursing presented in this article may serve as guidelines for most doctoral programs in the world as these were developed by experienced nurse scholars representing eight countries from five continents. The degree of detail in these parameters is sufficient to enhance the utility of the QCSI for all doctoral programs worldwide.

Seeking New Research Methodologies

Nursing Research Conference of the Japan Academy of Nursing Science is “Nursing Phenomena and Research Design:Search for New Research Methodology.”There are several reasons why I decided to focus on research methodology. The reason is that the nursing education system in Japan has undergone many changes.After the Second World War, the ”Public Health Nurse, Midwife and Nurse Law”was enacted in1948,and now we have three kinds of national licenses in nursing :Nurse, Public Health Nurse and Midwife.From the1960s to the1980s, three-year diploma nursing programs and junior nursing college programs dominated nursing education in our country. In 1967, the nursing curriculum changed from training based on practice,to education based on theory, and since then Japanese nurses have made efforts to establish a higher education system in Nursing. Since the elderly population is increasing rapidly in Japan and there is a public responsibility to provide care for the elderly,the requirements for nursing education, and for nurses,are changing.Our society needs to provide effective hospital-and community-based care delivered by highly educated professional nurses.In the 1990’s,the Japanese Ministry of Education made a decision to develop higher education in Nursing.As a result, while there were 11university-based nursing programs in 1989,the number has boomed to 119university-based nursing programs in 2004. In addition, the number of master’s degree programs in nursing has increased from 4 in 1989 to 74 in 2004, and the number of doctoral programs has increased from 2 in 1989 to 25 in 2004. Finally,the number of university faculty members who are registered nurses in 2004is3,590. Accordingly, as higher education in nursing has developed,the population of nurses who are interested in nursing research has increased, as has the amount of research conducted. For example, the number of the master’s degree program students in2004is1,269and the number of the doctoral students in nursing is228.In our country,master’s program students usually must write a thesis. Therefore, perhaps more than 1,000 master’s theses and doctoral dissertations will be produced during the next two or three years.Furthermore,many clinical nurses who work at hospitals make an effort to conduct research or study. In Japan, if you are a nurse, you participate in “nursing research or study”in clinical settings,regardless of your training. Traditionally,Japanese nursing has been valued as clinical nursing care,particularly patient care.Clinical nurses develop the quality of care through group discussions,case conferences and case studies in their nursing team,that is,through“quality circles”.Even though the amount of nursing research conducted by university faculty members has increased, the results of this research are not relevant to clinical nursing practice. We have to ask ourselves:Do these research projects make a difference?That is, do the results of the research projects contribute to the quality of nursing care? I reviewed the papers focusing on research methodologies which have been published in the Journal of the 第5回国際看護学術集会

Current strengths and limitations of doctoral education in nursing: are we prepared for the future?

The number of doctoral programs in nursing has increased significantly over the past 20 years. This growth has been driven in part by the pressing need to supply faculty to teach in undergraduate and graduate programs in nursing. Yet, enrollment in and graduation from these programs has remained fairly constant even as the number of programs has grown. During this 20-year period, there have been numerous conferences, workshops, and meetings devoted to the topic of doctoral education with a constant thread running through them calling for the need to maintain quality--quality students, quality faculty, quality research, and quality course work and requirements--in them. Faculty teaching in these programs have given considerable thought to ways of assuring quality in the program of study so as to ensure the graduate's ability to function as a teacher and researcher. Yet, despite these efforts, still less than 50 per cent of nursing faculty possess the doctorate, faculty are experiencing difficulty in fulfilling the tripartite mission of colleges and universities, and extramural funding for research is very unevenly distributed across programs and, in total, is inadequate to build the science. This article examines the strengths and weaknesses of doctoral programs in nursing at the start of the new millennium in which the challenges in higher education are forecasted to become more focused and intense, using accepted benchmarks of quality for students, faculty, and curricula.

Outreach at a University Statistical Consulting Center

In recent years, many authors have discussed the issues involved in conducting statistical consulting services within a university community (e.g., Bancroft 1971; Boen 1972; Boen and Zahn 1982; Carter, Scheaffer, and Marks 1986; Gibbons and Freund 1980; Hyams 1969, 1971; Kirk 1991; Mead 1976). As pointed out by Amdt and Woolson (1991), there seems to have been little written on initiating a statistical consulting unit within a research university. We discuss the opportunities and challenges of consulting within an academic unit and describe the growth and outreach activities at the Wright State University Statistical Consulting Center (SCC). In this discussion, outreach refers to the enhancement of services both within and external to the university. The context presented here differs from that of most previous articles concerning academic statistical consulting. Wright State University is a relatively small (18,000 students), metropolitan university with a small number of doctoral programs. The SCC is located in a department containing both mathematicians and statisticians, which has a graduate program but does not offer the Ph.D. degree. We anticipate that applied statisticians in small-tomedium-sized universities will be able to identify with this discussion much better than with the discussion involving large, Ph.D.-granting statistics departments (e.g., see Bancroft 1971; Carter et al. 1986) or professional schools (e.g., Arndt and Woolson 1991; Boen 1982).

Doctoral Education in the Field of Business Policy and Strategy

This report was originally commissioned in 1988 by the Executive Committee of the Business Policy and Planning Division of the Academy of Management. At that time, the Executive Committee, concerned about a number of issues connected with doctoral education, appointed The Committee on the Future of Doctoral Education to study these issues. There had been, in the last 15 years, a veritable explosion of literature in the field of Business Policy and Strategy. This trend was accompanied by a growth in the number of doctoral programs being established in American universities.As with any evolving field, questions were being raised not only by "outsiders" (faculty in other departments of a business school, curriculum and administrative officers in business schools) but also by "insiders" (professors, students, prospective students in the field itself). What is the nature of the field? What are its boundaries? What are the major streams of literature in the field? What kind of research is most promising?

Hypnosis training in APA- and non-APA-approved clinical/counseling doctoral programs.

'Previous research describing the extent and characteristics of hypnosis training indicates little availability in psychology doctoral programs. One drawback to gaining a clear picture of the present status of hypnosis training in academia occurred because previous studies only sampled American Psychological Association (APA) approved training programs. This study assesses the status of and attitudes toward hypnosis training in 186 APA- and nonAPA-approved doctoral programs. Fifty'three percent of the departments (98) returned questionnaires within the allotted time period. Results indicate that 30% of the APAapproved and 39%, of the non-APA-approved programs offer either a full or partial course in hypnosis. Approximately 60% of the programs in both groups either offer some type of academic course or allow students the opportunity to enhance their previously learned hypnosis skills through practicum courses. Respondent attitudes toward hypnosis are generally positive. Interest-in the source of hypnosis training continues to grow as the use of hypnotherapy increases. Two studies reported that psychologists who use hypnosis have had limited academic hypnosis training. In 1979 Harrison surveyed psychologists who were members of the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis. Only 28% of the respondents had obtained academic course work in hypnosis. Kraft, Rodolfa, Reilley, and Blackmore (Note 1) surveyed a random sample of the membership of the American Psychological Association (APA) and of APA's Division of Psychological Hypnosis. Only 25% of the respondents from the Division of Psychological Hypnosis and 33% of the general membership who use hypnosis had received their primary training-in an academic course. Other sources of training reported in both studies were workshops and supervised experience. A survey of hypnosis training in 54 APA-approved clinical psychology training programs was conducted by Moss, Logan, and Lynch in 1962. Only nine programs (17%) offered either a full course in hypnosis or a course that covered hypnosis as a major topic area. Even though limited academic hypnosis training occurred, Moss et al. reported that a majority of programs had the resources available to offer hypnosis training. An increase in the availability of training and interest in hypnosis was reported by Parrish (1975) after he had surveyed 83 APA clinical psychology programs in 1973. A full or partial course in hypnosis was offered by 45% of the programs. Hypnosis training was primarily included in the curriculum because of its clinical usefulness. One drawback of the Parrish (1975) and Moss et al. (1962) studies is that only APA-approved doctoral training programs were sampled. A number of doctoral programs in clinical and counseling psychology have not sought or have not been granted APA approval. The APA developed a procedure and criteria (APA, Note 2) to assess whether doctoral programs offered an acceptable level of academic training. Lack of APA approval, however, does not imply that a program cannot meet acceptable standards (APA, 1979): Approval implies only that a program has voluntarily ap